Improved instrument for coupling railway-cars



MOOMBER 8v WARD.

Coupling 'De-vice. N0. 100;'542. I Patented March 8,'1870.

N-FETERS. PHDTULITHOMAPMER. WISHINGTCN. [1C- To'cll whom it may concernstrut djijire.

,ABNER MQOMBER AND MINA WARD, or SGHENEGTADY, New YORK.

i Letters .Patent No. 100,542,1 dated March 8, 1870.

l ncpnovnn INSTRUMENT ron coUPLING RAILWAY-CARS.

l The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part ofthe same.

Be it known` that we, ABNER MQOMBER and MINA WARD, of Schenectady, inthe county of Schenectady, and State of New York, have invented a newand improved Instrument 'for Coupling Railroad-Gars; and we do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making apartof this specification iu which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of theimproved instrument folded up. Figure 2 is a side view of the instrumentarranged for coupling freight-cars.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the instrument adjusled as shown iniig. 2, and supporting one end of a Figure 4 is a view of the instrumentadjusted for V coupling passenger vor platform-cars'.

Similar letters of 'reference indicate corresponding parts iu theseveral iigures.

The object of our invention i's 4to obtain `a portable instrument bywhich the coupling-links of passenger cars or freight-cars can beconveniently and safely held up and guided into theirplaces during theact of moving cars together to couplethem. To this end,

The nature of our invention consists in a rod, of suitable length andstrength, provided withhook's orV lugs in such manner that'acoupling-link can be readily held "up and guided into its place byaperson standing on the platform of a car, oron the ground on one side ofthe cars, as will be hereinafter explained.

To enable others skilled in the vart to understand our invention, wewilldescribe its construction and operation. y

In the accompanying drawings, we have represented `the improved couplinginstrument made of three sections, A B C, connected together byrule-joint c c.

We prefer te construct the staff of the instrument in this way, in orderthat it can be foldedinto a small j compass when not in immediate use,and thus allowing itto be conveniently carried.

The free end al of thesection B is hooked or bentat right angles to thissection, so that when the latter is adjusted at right angles to the Vtwosections A C, as shown in fig. 4, it will' a'ord a supportfor one end ofa coupling-link, and allow such link to be held and guided into itsplace during the act of' effecting a couplino. f

` 'he person holding the instrument when it is thus adjusted will bestationed on the platform of one of the cars, and will grasp theinstrumenthy its hooked section C.

For coupling freight-cars, where a person who guides j the links isrequired to station himself on one side of the track, and not on theplatform-as inpassengercars, the instrument is adjusted as shown infigs. 2 and 3.

The section Gis adjusted in astraight line with section A, and thesection B is turned over, as shown in figs. 2 and 3, and its hooked end,d, inserted into a recess, b, in the edge of section A.

This forms a handle, A B, by which the instrument can-be lirmly graspedand held while using it.

The section O has its end g turned up to form ahook or lug, and it alsohas a corresponding hook or lug, g', secured to it at such distance fromg as will allowa coupling-link to be received between these hooks. Whenthus held o n the section C, the coupling-link can be guided into itsplace without requiring the person making the coupling to expose anypart of his person between the cars. l

W'lien the instrument is not in immediate use, its sections can befolded, as shown in g. 1, and may be carried in -the pocket. j

Having described our,y invention,

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A rod or stad', provided with hooks or lugs g g and d, and adaptedfor supporting and guiding coupling-links during the act of couplingcars, substantially as described.

2. Constructing such a rod or sta of sections A, B, and O, connectedtogether by rule-joints, substantially.

as described.

ABNER MCOMBER. MIN A WARD.

Witnesses:

Ones. E. PALMER, E. L. FREEMAN, 2d.

